Convert any shoe into a cleated bike shoe

I ride in my fancy bike shoes a lot but I keep my eyes open for other cleated options. Retrofitz in Santa Cruz can provide those other options by converting any shoe into a clipless compatible shoe.

The proprietor is a mechanical engineer who designed a custom nylon insert for his conversions. He uses a five-ton press and a custom steel rule die to fit this insert in the sole of your shoe. The nylon sole plate is attached to the shoe and Voila!, your shoe is now a bike shoe with recessed cleats. How cool is that?

The Retrofitz conversion will accept SPD, TIME offroad, Crank Brothers, Ritchey cleats. He’s experimented with road cleats like KEO, but the result are shoes you can’t really walk in that well.

You can buy a DIY kit and try the conversion yourself, but I’ll warn you some skill and know-how is required. You can also send your shoes in and Retrofitz will do the work for you for $90.

More –> Retrofitz.com. Via Urban Velo. Retrofitz is in Santa Cruz, so I plan to visit Real Soon Now and take a look at these shoes for myself.

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4 Comments

How cool is that? It’s so very cool. Thanks for pointing this out as I’d never heard of it before. I thought Chrome were the only shoes available like this, but it’s good to know that other shoes can be converted if you know of where to go. Sweet.